Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA) Trading Up 6.3% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Liberty Global's stock price increased by 6.3%, reaching $10.65 after trading as high as $10.53, though the volume was significantly lower than average at 296,202 shares.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" for Liberty Global, with a price target averaging $14.94, while several analysts have issued recent downgrades, lowering their price objectives.
• Liberty Global reported a significant earnings miss for the quarter with EPS at ($3.84), falling short of the consensus estimate of ($0.83), despite revenue surpassing expectations at $1.17 billion.

Liberty Global Ltd (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 6.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $10.53 and last traded at $10.65. Approximately 296,202 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,066,536 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.02.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LBTYA has been the topic of several research reports. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays set a $11.00 price target on shares of Liberty Global and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Liberty Global from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Liberty Global from $13.00 to $10.60 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Liberty Global to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.09.

Liberty Global Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.57. The stock has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.14 and a beta of 1.13.

Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported ($8.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.55) by ($7.54). Liberty Global had a negative net margin of 60.38% and a negative return on equity of 22.07%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Research analysts forecast that Liberty Global Ltd will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Liberty Global

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LBTYA. CWM LLC raised its position in Liberty Global by 81.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,026 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in Liberty Global in the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Liberty Global in the 1st quarter worth approximately $64,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in Liberty Global in the 1st quarter worth approximately $78,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Liberty Global by 2,370.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,745 shares of the company's stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 6,472 shares during the last quarter. 37.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Liberty Global Company Profile

Liberty Global Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband internet, video, fixed-line telephony, and mobile communications services to residential and business customers. It offers value-added broadband services, such as WiFi features, security, anti-virus, firewall, spam protection, smart home services, online storage solutions, and web spaces; and Connect Box that delivers in-home Wi-Fi service.